As is known, water distribution networks, due both to the aging of the pipes and systems and due to faults caused by accidents of various kinds, are subject to water leaks which can be frequent and more or less substantial.
In particular in the case of civil buildings, water leaks are particularly onerous, not only from an economic standpoint due to the waste entailed by such leaks but also because by being often hard to detect they can cause the onset of damage to adjacent buildings and dwellings and affect, in the most severe cases, both the structures of the buildings (for example the foundations) and the infrastructures (for example, courtyard paving, road paving, footpaths, et cetera).
The damage caused by water leaks, in addition to the damage mentioned above, involves another aspect which is certainly not secondary, i.e., the ethical one. The leaks of water distribution systems in fact waste an enormous amount of water, i.e., of a resource of primary importance which is not renewable and for which the need for active protection is ever more clearly felt at all levels.
The problem of water leaks is even more severe in cases in which dwellings are left unattended for long periods, when due to the lack of constant and frequent monitoring the abnormal consumption of water is detected when the harmful effects have already become apparent.
Water leaks are currently detected rather empirically by making a comparison between normal consumption of the user and a consumption which is believed to be abnormal. In this regard, it should be noted that for example condominiums usually have a single connection to the public water distribution network and the total withdrawal of water (i.e., the amount consumed by the dwellings) is quantified by a meter which is installed at the entrance of the supply.
If indication devices are not provided, any leaks are diagnosed by comparing water consumptions between two billing periods.
It is evident that if the consumption comparison times are widely spaced, the accumulated economic damage can be substantial.
Similar drawbacks are observed in gas distribution networks, with the addition of the danger of explosions.